SPONSORED ARTICLES

Incoming Social Welfare Secretary Rolando Bautista, a retiring army chief, is the newest on the list of military men the president has appointed as top officials.

The position has been vacant since the appointment of Judy Taguiwalo was rejected by the Commission of Appointments last year.

This development met the ire of some groups, especially left-leaning ones, that observed President Rodrigo Duterte’s alleged militarization of of his Cabinet by filling the seats with former military officials.

“Duterte’s rapidly turning his cabinet after the image of his idol Marcos’ dictatorial government,” Anakbayan Secretary General Einstein Recedes said.

The Kabataan party-list slammed it as a tactic to support allegations of ouster plots.

“This is what ‘Red October’ really is—a calibrated effort by Duterte and the army to sow fear, set the pretext for declaring martial law, and launch heightened attacks on the people,” the group said on Facebook.

At the @DSWDserve MIMAROPA consultation dialogue with CSOs. They’re updating on the Duterte plan to have a military person head DSWD come October. More than 20,000 social workers in the Philippines and he can’t choose one to lead agency? Crazy.

Who is Rolando Bautista?

He served as a commander of different infantry battalions of the army during the previous administrations.

In 2016, Duterte chose him to lead the Presidential Security Group. Barely a few months on the post, Bautista was suddenly sent to fight alongside other troops during the five-month long Marawi Battle.

In October, he was promoted to lead the Philippine Army. He is set to retire from it this month.

Bautista was supposed to be assigned to replace Jason Aquino, former administrator of the National Food Authority who resigned amid criticisms over rising rice prices.